1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a label forming apparatus and a label forming method for forming a label by printing an image on a film, for example, on a base sheet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A label forming method for forming a label with a printed design has been known. In such a label forming method, a resin sheet is prepared and a design is printed thereon using an ink, etc. to form a label.
Various label forming techniques have been known. In JP2007-283745A, for example, a method and an apparatus for forming a label by an electrophotographic type image forming apparatus using toner has been proposed. In this case, a blade die is not prepared if a label to be formed includes a backside with an adhesive applied thereon. A label base material, a label image, and a sealing material are sequentially formed on a release sheet with adhesive, whereby a label with an arbitrary shape can be formed at a desired timing.
In the above label forming apparatus, however, there has been the following problem. Specifically, since the film formation and the transfer of toner are carried out in separate processes, the positions on the film where the toner is transferred may be shifted. To transfer toner accurately to predetermined positions on the film, therefore, it is necessary for the film forming apparatus and the toner transferring apparatus to be integrated and formed with a high mechanical accuracy.